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Vanessa Geppert: Instead of Reading a Story, Play Pretend with Your Child

Vanessa Geppert from the Children's Museum of the East End

To encourage creativity with kids at the Children's Museum, we let them play! Here's how you can do it at home - Rather than just reading a story, act it out or make up your own! Encourage your child to pretend to be a character in the tale, and help them create a costume for the role. While you are cooking, invite your child to pretend to cook alongside you, using their own set of pots and pans. Ask them what's cooking, what are their ingredients, and when will their meal be ready. Collaborate on an art project with your child and encourage them to experiment and handle different media. As they create, ask what they notice about how the paint, crayons or other materials interact. If you want to inspire creativity, start with play! Try joining your child in play. It's much more fun than playing alone. So use these ideas to get inspired and keep the arts alive in your child's life.